Randy Schekman | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2016

Y-box protein 1 is required to sort microRNAs into exosomes in cells and in a cell-free reaction

Exosomes are small vesicles that are secreted from metazoan cells and may convey selected membrane proteins and small RNAs to target cells for the control of cell migration, development and metastasis. To study the mechanisms of RNA packaging into exosomes, we devised a purification scheme based on the membrane marker CD63 to isolate a single exosome species secreted from HEK293T cells. Using immunoisolated CD63-containing exosomes we identified a set of microRNAs that are highly enriched with respect to their cellular levels. To explore the biochemical requirements for exosome biogenesis and RNA packaging, we devised a cell-free reaction that recapitulates the species-selective enclosure of miR-223 in isolated membranes supplemented with cytosol. We found that the RNA-binding protein Y-box protein I (YBX1) binds to and is required for the sorting of miR-223 in the cell-free reaction. Furthermore, YBX1 serves an important role in the secretion of miRNAs in exosomes by HEK293T cells.

Biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2016

Distinct stages in the recognition, sorting and packaging of proTGFα into COPII coated transport vesicles

In addition to its role in forming vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the coat protein complex II (COPII) is also responsible for selecting specific cargo proteins to be packaged into COPII transport vesicles. Comparison of COPII vesicle formation in mammalian systems and in yeast suggested that the former employs more elaborate mechanisms for cargo recognition, presumably to cope with a significantly expanded repertoire of cargo that transits the secretory pathway. Using proTGF, the transmembrane precursor of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF), as a model cargo protein, we demonstrate in cell-free assays that at least one auxiliary cytosolic factor is specifically required for the efficient packaging of proTGF into COPII vesicles. Using a knockout HeLa cell line generated by CRISPR/Cas9, we provide functional evidence showing that a transmembrane protein, Cornichon-1 (CNIH), acts as a cargo receptor of proTGF. We show that both CNIH and the auxiliary cytosolic factor(s) are required for efficient recruitment of proTGF to the COPII coat in vitro. Moreover, we provide evidence that the recruitment of cargo protein by the COPII coat precedes and may be distinct from subsequent cargo packaging into COPII vesicles.\n\nAbbreviations

Cell Biology↗